Two Bloggers One Series ~ Deep Midnight by Shannon Drake

I have been dragging Barb along on my pursuit to read all things Heather Graham (Shannon Drake) and this one might have been torture...lol. Once you see what I thought go on over to Booker T's Farm and see what Barb thought of this one!

The Hour When Dreams Turn Into Nightmares...

An opulent Carnivale ball in Venice takes a terrifying turn for book critic Jordan Riley. As festivity turns into frenzy, she is rescued by a powerful man disguised as a wolf. But was what she witnessed really just the evening's entertainment--or something far more sinister?

...And Pleasure Beckons From Beyond

From a de-consecrated church in Venice to a secret society in New Orleans, Jordan is led on a nightmare journey to the razor's edge of reality. Her mysterious savior is always a shadow behind her. A man whose closeness will both torment and tantalize her as darkness falls--and an eternal hunger threatens to consume her.

This is the third book in the Alliance Vampire series and although I did want to see what happened to Ragnar (I think that was his name) a vampire mentioned from the previous books I thought this book was just to much like the second book. 

Jordan is with her cousin and his wife in Venice to check out Carnivale when Jordan ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses something horrific and was saved by a man dressed as a wolf. Nobody will believe her when she tries telling them that something horrible happened especially because it was at the Contessa's and she is rich and powerful around the area.

Bad things are happening all around Jordan but Ragnar is always around to make sure she doesn't get into to much trouble, especially because the wrong people know about her and don't want her to live. Her cousin is mad because he is trying to get in with the Contessa and something strange is happening to his wife. 

This really just felt like book two with different characters which is a bummer because I wanted a cool story about Ragnar and all I got was a mediocre one. It took forever for the people from the previous books to come into the picture which is then when it started to pick up a bit as they are the ones to go after the bad vampires.

It did have an interesting surprise twist at the end that I didn't see coming that I thought was pretty cool but other than that this was just an average read. Hope the next book is better!! 

3 stars

Week in Review #113

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

It has been a very cold week with negative temps and 6 inches of snow and I have not been a happy camper but survived the week and now the temps are back to where I prefer them for my winters, in the 40s and 50s. :)

Since I was stuck at home I watched a lot of movies. I watched Back in Action a new action comedy with Jamie Fox and Cameron Dias and it wasn't to bad, cheesy fun. The Silencing, a drama/thriller, it wasn't to bad but a tad slow in parts. Dawn of the Beast which was a bigfoot movie with Wendigos and other creatures and was okay but rather busy. Tank, a movie staring James Gardner that I use to love watching when I was younger so that was fun!

I resubscribed to AcornTV to catch up on some shows I like there, so currently watching Darby and Joan as it has a new season I need to watch. :)

Books I have added

Nothing!

Books I Read

• Flyte - The second book in the Septimus Heap series and it was just okay. Had some fun things but overall not a lot really happened to move the story along.
• Eclair and Present Danger - reread for a readalong and still fun. I love the idea of an Emergency Dessert Squad...lol.
• Fireborn - First in the Fireborn series and a pretty decent fantasy. 

Currently Reading

• The Pirate Vixen - I read a little bit on this one but still a long ways from finishing. It's not bad but a bit of drama. Page 202 of 590.
• Tasmanian Tangle - I should finish this one this week. It's not the best, it started out okay but second half not so good. Page 144 of 190. 
• Cinderella After Midnight - Just started this one so not far into it but its okay so far. Page 24 of 192.
• Black Horse Tavern - Another one I just started. It's a gothic and so far it's not bad. Page 34 of 220. 
• French Quarter Fright Night - Third book in the Vintage Cookbook mystery series. 20% into the audiobook.

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Week in Review #112

 

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

I feel as if February is getting away from me! Where did the first part of it go? 

I am so over winter! This week is going to be very cold and there could be snow and I am so tired of stacking wood on the porch getting ready for it. 

Don't really have much to chat about so hope everyone has a great week!

Books I have added

Nothing!

Books I Read

• Lon Po Po - A picture book about a Chinese Red Riding Hood for a readathon called Folklore February. It was different.
• The Mitten - A picture book of a Ukrainian folklore and it has great illustrations but was weird.
• World of Mouse - A cute middle grade book about a mouse named Isaiah and his adventures. 
• Caroline's Waterloo - I finished one of my print books for my Retro Romance Readathon. I liked it though the male character could be a bit hard to take at times. 
• It's In His Kiss - The seventh book in the Bridgerton series and I really enjoyed it! Only one more to go! :) 

Currently Reading

• Pirates Vixen - I didn't actually read on this one this week. Need to do that though as I do want to make more progress in it as it's a long one!
• Tasmanian Tangle - This one I added this week after finishing Caroline's Waterloo, but I am not sure about it as the two main characters really don't like each other and not sure if I want to read a whole book like that so guess you will see if I am still reading it next week or not...lol. I am on page 32 of 190.
• Touch Not the Cat - This one is moving really slow, I haven't ever read a gothic romance before so not sure what to think of it yet. I am on page 72 of 302.
• Ghost Walk - I am enjoying this one so far. Reading this on ebook and about 26% into it. 
• Flyte - Second book in the Septimus Heap series and so far it's okay. Kind of strange. I am 52% into the audiobook.

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Feed Your TBR #6

t's time to FEED YOUR TBR and I have a couple books you might find interesting!! I am curious about these books though I may not be anticipating them. These picks are almost out so not a lot of waiting involved.  (Feed Your TBR is my version of Waiting on Wednesday now hosted by Wishful Endings)

Middle Grade

Sometimes even a girl who likes to rely only on herself needs to be brave enough to ask for help.

When a super-storm hits Addy's remote mountain town, knocking out the bridge and cutting her home off from the main road, she worries that she won’t be able to get to the survival camp she’s been looking forward to attending. The camp’s the place where her parents met, and where Addy plans to hone her skills and honor their legacy. But now there’s no power and it’s also like a light has been switched off in her mom, who’s been triggered by the raging river and memories of Addy’s dad dying in a similar storm. The two of them are feeling particularly stranded as they’ve never bothered to befriend any neighbors. But now Addy keeps running into her classmate Caleb on the hill above her house where they both go to get cell service. 

Caleb’s frantic about a missing neighbor, and Addy’s amazed to see how he’s able to connect with folks to get help. Then Caleb offers to help her get to camp--but can she trust him? She always thought of him as an enemy--but maybe she was partially to blame for his frostiness? The storm has brought so many questions swirling to the surface and has made Addy feel it’s time to take some leaps of faith. When she agrees to travel with Caleb by canoe, this sets off a remarkable string of events and the biggest test of her survival skills. More importantly, it sets Addy on a road to understanding that she's not in this adventure of life alone--and that a good thing.

Not heard of this author but this sounds like it could be an interesting contemporary middle grade. I don't read a lot of them but now and then one sounds good. This comes out May 13th from Penguin Young Readers.

Adult

Soaring temperatures and a giant jigsaw puzzle combine to form a picture of murder . . .

It’s a blistering hot summer in Sun City West, and members of the retirement community are happy to escape into the air-conditioned bliss of the library to work on a mammoth forty-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. But things begin heating up inside, too, when members clash with the domineering head of the puzzle committee over which puzzle to solve—until someone settles the matter by killing her. Now it’s up to Sophie “Phee” Kimball to put all the pieces of the murder plot together and catch the culprit responsible.

Any number of the jigsaw aficionados could have wanted the victim out of the picture for her personality alone, but Phee suspects there was a more sinister motive behind the murder. Then the chosen puzzle and the library itself are struck by one instance of sabotage after another, and Phee’s convinced that someone is sending a menacing message. But just as she unearths a telling clue and slots it into place, she finds herself in a race against time to finish the puzzle and solve the case—before the killer goes to pieces and finishes her off too . . .

One of my favorite series! I have gotten behind on this series and need to catch up but couldn't help butting this one on here because look at that cover! Streetman is so adorable!! This comes out February 25th from Beyond the Page.

Week in Review #111

 

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

February has started off busy and I haven't hardly had time to read anything and it sucks. Hopefully this coming week will be nicer to me.

It is going to get colder and nasty so that might keep me inside so I can read, but I am so over winter and want nicer temps. I am not in a hurry for Spring because it brings tornados but I do want warmer spring like weather!!!

Have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

Feed Your TBR

Review of Proven Guilty

Books I have added

Nothing!

Books I Read

• The Darke Toad - This was a novella in the Septimus Heap series. The lady I am buddy Reading this series wanted to read 1.5 before going to the second book. It was okay.
• Deep Midnight - This is the third book in the Alliance Vampire series and was okay.

Currently Reading

Reading a lot but not getting a lot finished!!

• Lost and Gone Forever - I have worked on this one lately because February is my Retro Romance Readathon so concentrating more on the romances you see there. 
• The Pirate's Vixen - I am enjoying this one fine but it's a chunky romance so lets see how I feel once I get more than halfway...lol. Right now I am on page 187 of 590. 
• Touch Not the Cat - Just started this one so not far into it but right now it's not real interesting. I haven't read many gothic romances so hopefully it picks up. I am on page 35 of 302.
• Caroline's Waterloo - This one is interesting. With a lot of these older romances it's got a pretty huge age gap. He is forty and I am guessing she is in her early twenties. He is a bit stuffy and it's hard to tell this is a romance...lol. It's entertaining though.
• Ghost Walk - I haven't read a lot of this one, but need to make headway on it this week.

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Feed Your TBR #5

 It's time to FEED YOUR TBR and I have a couple books you might find interesting!! I am curious about these books though I may not be anticipating them. These picks are almost out so not a lot of waiting involved.  (Feed Your TBR is my version of Waiting on Wednesday now hosted by Wishful Endings)

So I am a bit late with my Feed Your TBR post but I decided to do it anyway. :) Never late to mention some cool books coming out right?

Middle Grade:

An out-of-this-world middle grade adventure, based on true historical events. All Pineda Matlage wants is to get through the school year and maybe pull an epic prank or two with his friends Junior, Ernesto, and Patsy. But class is disrupted when a slew of American soldiers descends upon their rural Texan town of Lariat. They’ll be carrying out a training exercise and taking over everything, from Pineda’s school to the local government. But Pineda knows why they’re really here. For days he’s hidden the strange creature who fell from the sky in his parents’ barn. He promised her he’d find her family and help them return home. 

But with soldiers now on every street corner and armed checkpoints across every road, reuniting his new friend with her missing parents seems an impossible task. Especially when they realize that the army’s presence is really a coverup for capturing his alien friends—being observed in a laboratory by the US government for reasons of their own. Enlisting the help of his friends, a Black soldier adjusting to a newly integrated army, and townspeople tired of the military’s destructive presence, Pineda and all of Lariat will embark on an adventure none of them could have ever expected.

I have read two books by this author and enjoyed them so I have high hopes of enjoying this one! It comes out February 11th from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Adult:

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.

May Daniels, a young English nurse on an excursion to France with her friend, seemed to vanish into thin air as they prepared to board a ferry home. Months later, her body is found in the nearby woods. The murder has all the hallmarks of a locked room mystery for which these authors are famous: how did her killer manage to sneak her body out of a crowded train station without anyone noticing? If, as the police believe, the cause of death is manual strangulation, why is there is an extraordinary amount of blood at the crime scene? What is the meaning of a heartbreaking secret letter seeming to implicate an unnamed paramour? Determined to solve the highly publicized murder, the Queens of Crime embark on their own investigation, discovering they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.

Inspired by a true story in Sayers’ own life, New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict brings to life the lengths to which five talented women writers will go to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of letters as they unpuzzle a mystery torn from the pages of their own novels.

I love the fact this has a group of real female mystery authors together in a fiction setting solving a crime! Comes out February 11th from St. Martin's Press. 

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

I am so loving my relisten of the Dresden Files, it's starting to get really good and it's amazing how much I don't remember vs what I do remember once I start listening...lol. Go check out what Barb thought at Booker T's Farm after viewing my thoughts. :) 

There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City.

As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob....

Things are getting good in this series as Harry is now a Warden for the White Council and not happy about it at all and the first scene we get is a reason why he doesn't like it. Others are not real happy to have him on as a Warden either as some still think he is not a good person.

In this one we get more of Molly who is Michael and Charity's daughter, and Michael is Harry's friend but Charity is not a huge Harry fan. Molly though gets herself in a bit of trouble and instead of going to her parents she calls Harry which ends up getting him into a bit of trouble not only with supernatural things but also with Charity (eventually). 

Some on the council want Harry to look into some activity involving black  magic and this and some things with Molly seem to go together and it leads him to a horrorfest type thing where people are being killed by an entity that is taking on peoples fears and what type of fears are at a horrorfest? Horror movie villains!! 

This one was so much fun that it didn't really seem as long as it was but it was 16 hours on audio and over 500 pages in print form but goes so quickly as things just keep building up and then the things that happen at the end! Can't say but I am glad we will be getting more Molly in the future. :) 

Can't wait to get to the next installment as I just love this series! I am sure I could reread it again in the future. 

5 stars!